Actually I think the rules recently enacted at the Denominations General Conference and the Annual Conference a few weeks ago does not prevent a congregation from leaving, per se, they “just” cannot take their property with them. By the incorporation and structure of the United Methodist Church all church property is the property on the denomination. THAT rule now makes formally leaving more difficult, because the leaving congregation has to start over financially and in terms of getting a church property.
I have argued with one United Methodist I know, that the UMC is ignoring that what funds the higher entities of the UMC have/had in terms of financially helping grow the church’s properties, those monies came from the congregations, including the congregations now seeking to leave, and in many cases the national denomination’s contribution was smaller in value than the local congregation’s building fund they raised on their own.
But the “Liberals” in the UMC are blocking any such recognition. Their attitude is “they can leave but the property is ‘ours’ “.
The request and process to leave is carried over from a prior policy period when Churches wishing to disaffiliate and meet the agree-upon criterion could take their property with them. The process was deliberately stalled by the more leftist UMC conferences of which Alabama-West Florida is one of them.
This is a definite breach of contract and SHOULD be taken to the civil courts for adjudication. The conference has violated a contract with its members.